Conducting Educational Research

CHAPTER 2
WRITING A RESEARCH QUESTION
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
Chapter Two guides the reader through the process of writing a research question.
It provides considerations and tips for coming up with a good and manageable
question, including a discussion of ethical considerations, informed consent, and
getting institutional approval. It discusses the differences in framing a qualitative,
quantitative, and mixed-design problem statement, and also discusses the practicalities
of doing each type of research as a classroom teacher. The chapter concludes
with instruction on how to write an introductory chapter to a research proposal and
study.
INTRODUCTION
When planning a trip, you need to decide on a destination or at least a route. The
same is true for our research journey. We need to start with a problem statement.
What questions or problems exist in your daily professional life that you would like
to answer? What concern or issue do you have that you would like to explore in
depth?
Writing a problem statement may be the hardest part of the whole research
process. You might know you want to vacation in a tropical paradise. Once you
know where you want to go, making transportation arrangements, hotel accommodations,
and packing begin to fall neatly into place. But, deciding on that
one destination is not as easy. It is the same with selecting a problem statement.
Once you know what you will be studying, the rest of the process follows; but
choosing that starting point can be difficult. So, let’s work on coming up with a good
problem statement.
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